FORT MYERS, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast softball (5-9) is set for an adjusted slate at the Unconquered Invitational in Tallahassee this weekend.

Due to anticipated inclement weather, FGCU will now play a doubleheader against Florida State beginning at 3 p.m. on February 26 and will play a doubleheader against Rutgers beginning at 11 a.m. on February 27.

The last time out, FGCU dropped several close contests at the Hampton Inn Gulf Coast Classic, including a pair of power conference losses, 3-2 to Louisville, and 4-1 to Wisconsin. 

Freshman Mackenzie Leiti hit her second homer of the season against the Cardinals, and freshman Julia Bacoulis logged her first innings outside of the circle in right field. Bacoulis also recorded her first college hit and RBI on the weekend.

In the circle, the combination of Taylor, Ash, Bacoulis and Gabrielse kept every game within striking distance, but defensive miscues (six total errors) and runners left on base (26 total) contributed to keep FGCU out of the win column.

Florida State enters at 13-4 through three weeks of play. The Seminoles have four top-10 losses to Tennessee, Texas Tech and Alabama (twice) but have otherwise rolled through their schedule, including wins over UCLA, FAU, UConn, and Louisiana.

Isa Torres leads Florida State at the plate. The infielder is hitting .500 with nine extra base hits, including a pair of homers. Her .841 slugging percentage tops the chart on the Seminole squad. Jaysoni Beachum is one of three Seminoles to have hit three home runs; Beachum also has a team-best 14 walks. Six Seminoles hit .370 or better, including Marin Heller, who is 6-for-6 on stolen base attempts with 14 runs scored.

In the circle, Jazzy Francik owns a 1.60 ERA and 6-1 record across 35.1 innings pitched. Francik has struck out 33 and allowed just 20 hits. She also has three shutouts already in 2026.

FGCU only has one win all-time against the Seminoles. FGCU emerged victorious on March 8, 2024, with a 3-1 home win. In the victory, Sophie Wylie and Emily Chiarella each had RBI. Wylie, Tiffany Meek and Nikki Gibson – all still on the FGCU roster – scored the three runs between the second and fourth innings in the win. The Eagles are 14-32 all-time against the ACC.

The Scarlet Knights are 7-7 prior to their trip to Tallahassee. The Scarlet Knights also fell to Tennessee, along with Mississippi State and Cal State Fullerton, but boast wins over Notre Dame and UC San Diego, among others.

Addie Osborne is hitting .350 with 14 hits, 12 RBI, 12 runs scored and four homers. She's also slugging a team-best .750. Siera Hoekstra has a .417 OBP; Rutgers has 44 walks as a team. In the circle, Kelsey Hoekstra has a 1.58 ERA over 31.0 innings pitched. She has a .237 opponent average and 27 strikeouts to just five walks.

FGCU leads the all-time series with Rutgers 2-1. The last time the two squads met, Rutgers took a 4-3 win in 2022. FGCU's wins came in 2012 and 2017 – the 2026 meeting is one year ahead of schedule of meeting once every five years. The Eagles are 14-30 all-time against Big 10 schools. 

2026 softball season tickets, mini plans and single game tickets are on sale now at https://fgcuathletics.evenue.net/list/SB. 

For more information on FGCU Softball, follow @FGCUSoftball on Instagram, X (Twitter) and Facebook, and visit fgcuathletics.com.